21

12:10

12:10AM, Thursday March 3

Ten minutes later, they're still at it, legs intertwined, his hands tangled in her hair, tongues lazily exploring each other's mouths. He draws her lower lip gently between his teeth and she lets out a sigh of pleasure.

"Maine?" he mumbles between kisses.

"Hmmm?" she replies distractedly. RJ just might be her new favorite flavor—a heady mix of mint toothpaste and warm sweet-saltiness.

"I said I love you."

"I know," she dreamily agrees. "I heard you."

"And?" Now she hears the faintest bit of tension in his voice and pulls back. She looks into his eyes, searching, her brow slightly furrowed in puzzlement.

"Do you really need to hear me say it when we just spent the last—what, ten minutes?—making out like bandits?"

"Yes," he says simply, and he is five-year-old RJ Faulkerson again, brown eyes wide, hopeful, waiting for an answer. Her heart melts.

"Clingy mo," she says with an affectionate chuckle.

He is determined, though. "Naninigurado lang." And Maine gets this. Lately she has come to understand that the real RJ needs constant reassurance and affirmation, a far cry from the coolly confident Alden Richards, who never seems to seek anyone's approval. So even though it is her birthday, she decides to give him this gift.

She takes a breath—wanting to make sure her voice doesn't falter—and says with as much conviction as she can muster, "I love you too, Richard Reyes Faulkerson, Jr."

He blinks.

"Say it again, please." And she dissolves into laughter.

"Abuso ka na, Shokoy."

"Abuso agad? Di ba pwedeng nasarapan at nasayahan lang sa narinig?"

"Ang keso mo talaga!" she shakes her head, still giggling. "Fine, fine. I love you too. Okay na po? I know you know it naman e. I know you feel it. So stop thinking that I'm gonna take it back, okay? I won't. Wag ka ng umapila, I know how your brain works."

He finally smiles, dimple deepening. "Okay, okay." A sudden thought pops into his head and his eyes widen. "Wait. Does this mean we're officially a couple now?"

She throws her head back and laughs. "Obvious ba, Tisoy?!" And he breaks into a dazzling grin.

"Aba, kung ganun then let's go on our first official date!" he is all revved up and jumps to his feet, urging Maine to do the same. "Tayo ka na, Meng! I have a lot planned tonight."

She groans. "Lalabas tayo? Ugh. I don't want to go out. Masaya na ko here with you. I don't want to share this time with anyone else."

"Abaaaaa," he would be lying if he said this doesn't tickle him. "So sino ngayon satin ang makeso? Aray, Nicomaine! Ang bilis makahampas, jusko."

"Can we please just stay in," she pleads. "Isa pa, 12:20 na o. Too late na to go out. Dito na lang tayo, please?"

"Sino ba kasi nagsabi na lalabas tayo? We're not leaving here until we have to go to Bulaga."

Now she's confused. "E ano yung first date na sinasabi mo?"

"I told you I have everything planned out, diba? Let's move to the living room, I'll set up the TV and we'll watch 50 First Dates."

"Aw, I love that movie. Yung line ni Drew Barrymore dun, 'Nothing beats a first kiss.'"

"Tsss. Every kiss is a first kiss."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Totoo. I'll prove it to you."

This cracks her up. "Style mo, bulok. You just want to keep kissing."

He doesn't even try to deny it. "Siyempre. Pero gusto ko ring patunayan sayo na every kiss can be a first kiss."

"Hmmm. Intriguing."

He waggles his eyebrows at her and puts his hands on her waist, drawing her closer. "So here we go. Kanina was our first birthday kiss. Of course it was special. Now this—this is our first kiss as an official couple."

And without further warning he presses his lips to hers, taking her breath away. For the moment, the movie is completely forgotten.